2015 Giro d'Italia: Stage 17 Preview

The non-climbers should be happy to leave the higher mountains on Stage 17, running a short 134kms from Tirano to Lugano. This also will take the riders into neighboring Switzerland.

The route isn’t perfectly flat. There is a cat-3, Teglio, that summits just after 15kms. And after yesterday’s stage, that could hurt a bit! But, rest of the route flattens after that. There are bumps, but no more categorized climbs.

The first intermediate sprint occurs at Morbegno, roughly 60kms in. The second is just over 40kms later. So my prediction is both of these will go to the break. But, despite a bump 5kms out from the finish, I think the sprinters’ trains should be able to reel in the break and set things up for their fast man.